FieldNotes
Our daily Field Notes email is just the kind of jumpstart you need. A fast read. Maybe less than a minute. Because sometimes it just takes one insight to change the trajectory of the day.
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Compelling Presentations Have a Strong and Unique Throughline
Great presentations have a backbone. One idea or message serves as the foundation for everything that gets said. By tying every fact, illustration, story, data point, anecdote, and example to this hub, the presentation is easier to follow, becomes more memorable, and is likely to be more persuasive. Presentation experts call this central message a…
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We Are Not Yet Ready to Think in Trillions
The problem is that trillions is so much bigger than billions that people have a hard time understanding how to appreciate the difference. To illustrate this point, consider this. One million seconds equates to 11 days. A billion seconds is equivalent to roughly 32 years. But a trillion seconds is on a different order of…
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The Advice on How to Offer Praise Is Changing
There’s a controversy brewing in parenting circles, and it’s all about changing the way authority figures, like parents, give praise. The debate has implications for leaders of all varieties, including corporate leaders. The argument that experts are making suggests that parents should never tell their children they are proud of them. At least not in…
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Lean Organizations Are More Productive
Does your organization tilt toward lean or heavy? Discussing the philosophy preferences of your colleagues is a good place to start to make your staffing decisions intentional. While there are no “right” answers, how an organization staffs has tremendous consequences for how the work gets done and on who arrives and wants to stay.
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Your Admiration for Others Reveals Your Core Values
To clarify your core values, consider asking this question instead: What qualities do I most admire in others? The answer to that question normally reflects the values we hold most dear. Contemplate the two or three qualities you most admire in others by reflecting on your experiences and reactions in your many prized relationships. This…
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Thomas Edison and the Power of Team Laughter
Great teams enjoy a playful quality and a peer-like conversation. Superb team leaders are often both the instigators and the recipients of good-humored escapades. When everyone on the team sees themselves on the same level as the team leader, they feel more comfortable in taking risks, speaking their minds, and accepting criticism. Edison knew that.…
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When Decisions You Don’t Agree With Come Down From Above
On occasion, a decision that a team leader doesn’t agree with comes rolling downhill from higher up in the organization. Those on the receiving end of the decision may strongly believe that the decision is wrong-headed, creates risk, or has significant unintentional consequences. Perhaps they have had the chance to argue against the decision but…
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The Paradox of Telling People You’re Competent
Truly competent people don’t tell others they are competent. They show them. People are suspicious of anyone who labels themselves as competent. The thinking goes that those who have to broadcast that they have significant strengths and proficiencies must lack capability. Only an unskillful leader would find the need to tell others about their competencies.…
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What Makes Some People Uncoachable?
What Makes Some People Uncoachable? In yesterday’s Field Note, we broached the topic of what skills and traits are largely immutable and highly resistant to change and coaching. What wasn’t mentioned is the idea that some people are uncoachable or at least less coachable than others. In other words, some team members and colleagues are…
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What Isn’t Coachable?
Spending more time on coachable qualities will likely promote more team member growth and development while accepting what can’t be markedly changed will result in less disappointment and friction. What is on your list of uncoachable qualities? Decide before you invest the time to push an immovable rock uphill in a storm.